On The Record – Family Meeting

Toronto Melodic Punk five piece Family Meeting have just released their debut EP, ‘No One Cares ‘Til You’re Dead‘.

The EP was produced and recorded by Sam Guaiana at Room 21 Sound (Like Pacific, Coldfront, Rarity, July) and mastered by Andy Krehm at Silverbirch Mastering (Anvil, Boys Night Out).

Artwork on the release was helmed by Sebas Theriault of SterioDesign.

Started by four long-time Southern Ontario punk veterans, Family Meeting gained their niche sound after finding their Australian vocalist, and immediate fifth member, Josh Riley, in 2016.

The group hit it off with shared influences including A Wilhelm Scream, Strung Out, Metallica and Atlas Losing Grip. They have since been busy writing songs and gearing up to come out swinging.

You can order the EP on Bandcamp [Here] or give it a spin below, and on the usual streaming services now.

To find out more about the release, the band answered our On The Record questions this week. Take a read below.

LISTEN WHILE YOU READ

ON THE RECORD INTERVIEW

Tell us about the release title.
It kind of just fell in place. Our bass player, Davey, has this running list of song/album titles and one day in studio, we were going through them, funny enough trying to re-name one of the songs. No One Cares ‘Til You’re Dead was mentioned and everyone seemed to love it. Producer/Engineer, Sam Guaiana turned around and said, “that’s the perfect album title”, and that was enough for us.

Tell us about the artwork.
Our artwork was helmed by Sebas Theriault of SterioDesign. Aside from being our brother and like the greatest dude ever, he is incredibly talented. The idea came about from a mind map session that we had a band. It’s tough trying to come up with a concept that has to be crammed into such a small space. We wanted an eye-grabbing yet effective way to portray the fact that we usually fail to care about important things that are right in front of us, until it’s far too late.

What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
No One Cares ’Til You’re Dead is available Digitally through Bandcamp, iTunes, and the Google Play Store. It’s available to stream through Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play. Limited CDs (digipack) are available through bandcamp as well.

Who will it be released through, and when?
Self released through our FOI imprint, the EP officially dropped on April 28, 2017. We are working out some final details, but we have a few distribution channels rolling out in the upcoming months.

Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We chose to record at Room 21 because it’s Sam’s home base. There was never a question of working anywhere else. If he was comfortable, we knew we were in for a great time.

Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
Our producer/engineer/mixer/superdude Sam Guaiana has to be one of the most solid dudes we have ever had the pleasure of working with. We worked with him based on the great first impression he gave off when we first met him. There was no ego, no pony tail attitude, and overall he’s just so cool and collected.
But mostly because he makes wicked records!
Like Pacific’s – “Distant Like You Asked”
Harbour’s – “Grade School Summer”
Coldfront’s – “Is This Where They Found You?”
ALL SOLID.
We thought, “If that’s how they sound, then dammit, he’s going to make us sound unreal!”
Also massive love to our Mastering Engineer, Andy Krehm of Silverbirch Productions, who came to us by Sam’s suggestion. Quite possibly one of the most pleasant, knowledgeable, and patient human beings we have ever had the fortune of working with. He is amazing.

Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
It’s funny, because as much as we want to say that we had this grandiose methodology of how we wanted it to sound, that was never the case. The songs were pretty much conceived on how we were feeling musically at the time. Once we locked in a structure we were happy about, we legitimately went to town on refining it about 40,000 times to make it is what you hear today.

Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
That’s a tough one. Since the start of the band, ‘State of Unrest’ by Atlas Losing Grip has been a major source of inspiration. Their melodic hooks accompanied by Rodrigo’s poetic imagery always struck a chord with us. But with that being said, it’s always fun to look back at these kind of things. Since we’ve got such a diverse selection of what we listen to, here is a personal list from each of us.
Brodie: Strike Anywhere – “Exit English”, Living With Lions – “Make Your Mark”
Davey: Trash Boat – “Nothing I Write You…”, Face To Face – “Protection”, Bouncing Souls – “Simplicity”
Josh: Crime In Stereo – “The Troubled Stateside”, Darko – “Sea of Trees”, Implants – “From Chaos to Order”
Nick: DragonForce – “Maximum Overdrive”, Mute – “Remember Death”, Avantasia – “Ghostlights”
Steve: Edward in Venice – “Howler”, Heartsounds – “Internal Eyes”, Boston Manor – “Be Nothing”

Were there any albums you were referencing in the studio to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
To be honest, no. Fortunately for us, Sam has a style that pays homage to the Jerry Finn, Butch Vig, Steve Evetts school of thought! But going through we aimed for four things: Punchy Guitars, Growly Bass, Face Melting Drums, and Melodious Vocal Harmonies. Think we got it!

How long did you spend in the studio recording?
We were in the studio with Sam for one week in late October 2016!

Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
Our Pre-Production was done mostly in our jam space by us. We spent a solid 5 months refining and making changes instrumentally and later vocally once Josh came onboard. This continued straight until the day before we were heading into Sam’s studio, when we most notably changed the entire key of Smells Like Cheap Spirits. A little spontaneous, but let’s be real, unless it works for us 100 percent, there is no rest.
Once we were in the studio, it was pretty straight forward. Sam did his own Pre-Production with us and then we went straight to work.

Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
Yes, yes, yes, yes ,yes, yes! In a good way though. We learned from our past experiences and essentially streamlined all the hiccups we ever experienced and came in with an attitude that there is no such thing as being too prepared. But honestly, Sam’s chill energy made it the smoothest recording that any of us have ever experienced, so that really helped.

Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
No special guests featured on the album, however, Sam did join in on some gang vocals with us!

When it comes to naming the tracks, is there any particular approach or process to it all?
We usually start with a title that is so bad that we use it for a couple months and then we’re forced to change it because of how bad it really is. Once we’ve got lyrics in place, we’ll try to pick a name that stays true to the Family Meeting style – witty with a nod to the concept of the song.

Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
If you listen closely on Smells Like Cheap Spirits, you can hear an organ and tambourine in the chorus. Straight up, a total Enema of the State homage, but dammit we love it! We also took full advantage of Sam’s gear arsenal, and of course, our really good buddy Pat’s 5150.

Any memorable studio moments?
Josh (Vocals) got a throat infection on the first day of tracking and was immediately sent home to sleep and drink tea for 3 days. Mind you, we all found out later that the combination of Decaf Green Tea mixed with honey was quite possibly the most delicious drink imaginable. When he came back in, Nick (Guitar), graciously brought his homemade Ghost Pepper Vodka concoction for us to celebrate with. Now, we’re not saying he magically cured him, but he kinda did. That Ghost Pepper Vodka seemed to have fully rid Josh of his malady. We may never know what his ailment was. Other than that, Food. Oh man. So much food! We love eating so the fact that there was such a diverse assortment of food to eat, straight up amazing! Mean Bao, Leslieville Pumps, Hakka Wow!…really, the list is endless.

Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
There were a few tracks that we stopped development on during our pre-production, which was probably for the best. Those tracks still exists and coupled with other working tracks we’re up to about 6 tracks deep on new material. Silver lining, right?

What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
All of them!

How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
Definitely a true reflection of where we are right now as musicians and people. Compared to past musical projects, this time around feels different for all of us and we’ve definitely matured musically with this release.

Anything else you want to say or about the release?
You can check out No One Cares ‘Til You’re Dead, on all major streaming outlets. Please be sure to come visit us on our Facebook or Instagram!

COVER ART

TRACK LISTING

1. It’s Turbo Time
2. Bring a Friend to Work Day
3. The Pursuit of Crappiness
4. Never Don’t Give Up
5. Smells Like Cheap Spirits

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